At Arms Length

Not everyone who exposes himself to the teachings of Christ responds positively. Some choose to keep Christ at arm’s length. They are unwilling to pay the price of total dedication. They are looking for cheap grace.

In today’s Gospel Lesson, a man possessed by a demon enters the synagogue where Jesus is teaching. Suddenly, the man jumps to his feet and the demon within him cries out in protest: “What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of God” (Mk. 1:24).

There are people today who know who Christ is, who realize He is the Holy One of God but refuse to give Him their full allegiance. They know that in order to draw close to him they must be willing to change radically. But there is a demon within them that cries out “No! The price is too high. What have you to do with me,…